A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

ber. One brother even called for his expulsion. Since Reimer was conference worker, the Missions Committee, composed of the elders and several representatives of the churches, considered the matter. The committee released Reimer from his position as itinerant minister of the M. B. Conference and suggested that he should perhaps withdraw from the church with which he disagreed in practice. The elder of the Rueckenau Church, David Schellenberg, was inclined to go along with the recommendation of the Missions Committee. At the brotherhood meeting where this matter came up, Reimer addressed his fellow-members as follows: "Brethren, should I leave you whom I love and with whom I am one in spirit? I can understand the separation of light from darkness, but not the separation of light from light. I will not leave you voluntarily; you will have to excommunicate me." 44 Missionary Abraham Friesen, who was home on furlough from India at the time, then moved that even though the church did not agree with Reimer and his associates on all points, it was grateful to God for these brethren and under no circumstances would ask them to leave. This motion was accepted by a large majority of the members, and with this action the recommendation of the Executive of the General Conference (Bundeskonferenz) was rejected. Since Jacob W. Reimer, Peter Koehn and others who took the same stand were subsequently not engaged by the M. B. General Conference for an itinerant ministry, the Rueckenau congregation and other friends provided the financial support for these brethren. At the annual convention of Mennonite Brethren in Waldheim (Molotschna) in 1903 it was discovered that approximately one fourth of all delegates shared the views of the "open brethren." The conference then agreed that in the matter of open communion the whole brotherhood should exercise mutual forbearance and love. (2) Intermarriage. It will be recalled that the Kirchenkonvent feared the disruptive effects of intermarriage between members of their 102 HISTORY OF THE MENNON1TE BRETHREN CHURCH congregations with members of the new movement (see chapter I'ourl. The marriage regulations of the early Prelhren. however, left no room for these apprehensions. Right from the beginning a prospective member had to promise not to marry outside of the church. During the early period of withdrawal and isolation from the rest of the Mennonif.e community this regulation created no problems. With the establishment of more cordial fraternal relationships in the seventies and eighties, the Mennonite Brethren Church became divided on the issue. At the annual conference in 1895 the delegates agreed to drop this rule, and to exercise discernment and discretion in each individual case.' 6 In North America marriage to believers who were not members of the M. B. Church was still a controversial issue forty years later.' 1 It should be added here, that the Mennonite Bret